Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-08
COLD STORAGE.
NEW SYSTEM FOR SHIPMENT OF
CALIFORNIA FRUITS.
California and Preparations for
its General Adoption.


| The lnter-0ce4n Cold Storage Company
of Chicago, during the past season have
been experimenting with the cold-storage
process as applied to the handling Of Cali
fornia fruits for the Chicago, New York
and other Eastern markets. Their expert
ments were made at Santa Ana, and the
results were so satisfactory that the COM
pany recently commenced work at River
side, putting in a plant that will cost
| when complete, $4,000. For three weeks
past work has been progressing on their
buildings at the north end of the depot
grounds in this city, under the direction
of their agents, who kept the plans OF their
company to themselves as much as posi-
b!esuntil the present time.
On Saturday l.. W. Pitcher, President of
the company, and Chas. F. Pierce, Secre-
tary, arrived in Riverside for the purpose
of laying their plans before the fruit-grow-
ers of this section, and offering their serv-
ices in placing the choice fruits of this
locality in the Eastern markets without
the usual loss by heating, freezing and
decay, which has heretofore made the bust
ness of fruit-shipments, at least in many
cases, hazardous.
The company are putting up works for
the purpose of reducing the temperature of
the fruit TO a certain point, after which it
is placed in Tiffany Refrigerator cars and
sent to the Eastern markets. If it is desir-
able 10 at once place the fruit on sale this
course can be pursued or they can at that
end of the line place the fruit again in cold
storage and place it on sale as the markets
may require.
The company's works here in Riverside
| will have a capacity for manufacturing ice,
| in addition TO their cold storage process, to
the extent of four and a half tons every
| twenty-four hours, and this capacity can
be increased from time to time as the ne
cessities of the case may require.
During the experiments of last summer,
cars were sent through which did not vary
in temperature more than two degrees, not
withstanding the fact that they passed
| through all degrees of heat from 500 to
| 1859, and the grapes after arriving in Chi
cago and New York, were found to be in
perfect state of preservation, and in as fine
condition, apparently, as when the fruit
| left the packing-houses in California. Not
only this, but the fruit had the same keep
| ing qualities there as though it had not
been subjected to the cooling process, thus
upsetting the commonly received idea that
fruit will not keep after being placed in
cold storage.
Just before the departure of Messrs
4 Pitcher and Pierce from Chicago for River
SIDE about the 18th of December, COM
pany of friends sat down to dinner, having
for dessert Muscat grapes grown in Santa
Ana which were picked ON the 10Th of No
vember. The fruit was as fresh and fine
| favored as when picked from the vines.
Crates of grapes from the same car taken
| at random. were sent to prominent railroad
officials and leading fruit merchants of
| Chicago New York and other leading
| cities, and the writer has seen letters from
| those gentlemen acknowledging the receipt
of the fruit, and praising the fine favor and
keeping qualities.
| The greatest benefit to Riverside will
consist in the ability of our people to sell
| their grapes in Eastern markets without
risk and without the trouble and expense
of making them into raisins. 1t will also
bring into the field another class of Gus
| toners to buy the grapes, thus making
more competition. II grapes will sell at
from $50 10 $50 per ton for shipment, what
is the use of converting them into raisins,
| for which purpose they are not worth more
than from SIS TO $50 per ton.
| The same process can be applied also to
| orange shipments, and it is claimed that
| the present percentage of loss from heat
| ing, freezing and decay will be practically
4 IL
| per cent, it means that much greater price
| for the fruit, less cost of treatment If
| twenty per cent, so much the greater the
saving.
| But when ii comes to lemons, it is
claimed that the advantage is much the
greater in the saving. Lemons can be
| shipped to Chicago, or other Eastern points,
as soon as picked, and placed in cold stor-
age, and then kept until the proper season
| arrives when they will bring the highest
price. If this can be done successfully, the
California lemon of the better grade will
| bring from s. to $40 per box instead of the
low prices now prevailing, when they
| must be sold at season Of the year when
there is no market for them.
Riverside has been honored with the
| headquarters of these works. Il is pro-
posed to bring fruit from all portions of
| Southern California to be treated and then
shipped East. They come here because
| they desire to make "a business of handling
| the choicest fruits. Fruit-growers in Pasa-
dena, San Gabriel, Orange, Santa Ana and
| other places can ship their fruit TO River
side, have it treated and shipped East with
out extra freight charges. just as cheaply as
though the cooling works were located at
| the place of shipment.
This company do not propose to buy
/
ton with other shippers. 1t proposes to
| furnish the cars, cool the fruit and ship
for all alike at a given price per carload,
| thus stimulating competition among the
dealers and fruit growers.
| The works in Riverside will be in readi-
ness for operations by the 10Th of January,
and that will be as soon as our oranges
will be ready for shipment. BY that time
| the Florida fruit will be out of the mar
| ket and Southern California will have
| free open market in all the Northern
| States for their superior oranges. In the
meantime the culls and windfalls should
be disposed of here on the Pacific coast
and leave cur Eastern markets in good
shape for the choice fruits when they are
| shipped 1t is great mistake to place our
| windfalls and green fruit on the Eastern
markets, as it will only hurt the repata-
ton of the better oranges that will go for
| ward at later date.
| While the process, so fer as California is
concerned, is new, it is not new at the East,
| for there it has been tried and found all
! that was claimed for it. The only question
| yet to be solved was, could the same pro-
| cess be used across the deserts and noun
| tans of the transcontinenial route, where
| the temperature was subjected to so many
and so sudden changes, with such wide
range. These experiments of the past
season prove hat these obstacles have been
overcome.
This system we confidently expect will
| result in the development of an extensive
vegetable-growing business in the foothill
regions, where frost is unknown during
the winter months. In this business, with
cold storage shipments at hand, quick re-
turns can be bad accompanied by large
profits, which will even eclipse the famous
orange business. Florida does q large
business in this line, Notwithstanding their
shipments are frequently dumped into the
bay for lack of this very process.
About the middle of January the mana
gers OF the company will give a reception
at their works, and will invite the public to
examine them at their leisure. They will
then be shown into various rooms Of diff
ferent temperatures-ex from the
tropics to the north pole-from the ice
cream room of July to the room where
fuls. overcoats and sealskin sacques would
be comfortable if not fashionable. They
will there exhibit their crystal blocks of
ice, inside of which will be found frozen
the delicate roses and other flowers of the
day, as well as other frigid curiositie5 wor-
thy of careful study.
Fruit will be cooled in the original pack
ages after being packed. Fruit-growers or
packers, after getting their fruit ready for
l sbinmeuf will deliver their goods at fhe